Funnily, Trader Joes in Boulder, CO is not very cheap at all, and certainly not a place you can do regular shopping to get those essentials that anchor an entire week's worth of meals. To top that all, there's no booze to be bought!
The workers at this location are numerous, cheery and helpful; the store is well-put together, with large displays. Some items are cheaper, but mostly it just seems like boxed/frozen "health" food, that doesn't seem all that frugal to buy, so I pass on it.
Before this location was built, my friends would go to New Mexico to do Trader Joes runs, so I do believe other locations must be economically attractive enough to spend that sort of time/gas to get there.
It's just the local market I guess: there's many local boutique grocery brands in the area: Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts, Luckys... It's either TJ is competing with them on price (they can be quite expensive...), or their competing on the much larger super markets, who are also raising their prices and bringing in luxury items, like pour-your-own-growler Kombucha.
The workers at this location are numerous, cheery and helpful; the store is well-put together, with large displays. Some items are cheaper, but mostly it just seems like boxed/frozen "health" food, that doesn't seem all that frugal to buy, so I pass on it.
Before this location was built, my friends would go to New Mexico to do Trader Joes runs, so I do believe other locations must be economically attractive enough to spend that sort of time/gas to get there.
It's just the local market I guess: there's many local boutique grocery brands in the area: Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts, Luckys... It's either TJ is competing with them on price (they can be quite expensive...), or their competing on the much larger super markets, who are also raising their prices and bringing in luxury items, like pour-your-own-growler Kombucha.
It's sort of madne$$.